BARF
(Biologically Appropriate Raw Food)
OK, so we all understand that dogs are carnivores. Does that really mean that our family pet should have a diet that closely approximates that of their wild relatives?
BARF
is basically the taking of raw poultry, meat, vegetables, grains, and fruits
and mixing them together in a manner that provides your dog the appropriate
amount of nutrition he needs.
Our
answer to this question is inevitably, NO. Here is our reasoning.
Let’s
face it. Not too many people have the time to research what the best possible
homemade diet would be for the particular dog that you have. In today’s world,
there are a lot of scary stories out there regarding commercial dog foods, and
this, in effect, is promoting the BARF diet to many dog lovers and owners. What
is the crude protein in the concoction you just created for your dog? Fat?
Fiber? Omega-6s? Vitamins?
Raw
poultry has a really big problem with bacteria contamination. We know this
contamination under the infamous name of ‘Salmonella’. Salmonella is very
dangerous to both humans and dogs, and is infectious by simply the handling of
raw poultry. Sure, we understand that if you handle it properly that you can
reduce the risks of contamination, but ask yourself, ‘how do you truly know if
you or your dog has not been infected?’. Oh yeah, I hope it doesn’t sit in that
bowl to long before you clean it.
Alright,
let’s talk about poultry bones. There is definitely no argument about it that
cooked poultry bones should not be on the menu for any type of dog at any time.
Everyone agrees on this point. The bones easily splinter into sharp shards that
will create havoc on a dogs’ entire digestive tract. We are talking about from
the very beginning to the very, very end.
You
know, I’ve heard people say ‘I remember the good old days when it was simpler,
the dog ran loose outside and we fed it whatever was left over from dinner and
it never had to go to the vet’. I remember those simpler days too, but not with
as much affection. I remember roaming family dogs that died from getting hit by
cars, out of control fleas, smelly dogs from rotted teeth and poor coat and
skin care, and most of all, how training your dog meant punishing him instead
of positive reward training.
Dogs
back in the good old days rarely ever lived passed ten years of age.
Veterinarian medicine and public awareness programs have insured a family dog
to live to fifteen plus years. Most veterinarians’ opinions on the BARF diet
range from very skeptical to outright negative. If you are not a specialist
dietician for the particular breed of dog that you have, then stay away from
this diet. Most commercial dog foods are not breed specific neither; but, they
do have to meet the standards of a minimum requirement with a guaranteed analysis
created by AAFCO.
Ultimately,
the decision is yours. All we ask is that you first consult your veterinarian,
become a specific breed dietician(s) for your favorite dog(s), study all that
you can on the subject, check the nutritional levels of the chosen diet(s)
through analysis, and consider how much easier it was back in the ‘good old
days’ when all you had to do was pick out a quality commercial dog food to feed
your dog instead of taking so much time preparing meals.
Outside
of this, advocate your commercial dog food companies to provide the proper food
for your dog. Today, there are quite a few dog specific foods out there. These
are controversial, as well. It seems that there is always an ingredient that
some do not agree with or the food simply causes havoc on your dogs system.
Please
let us know how you feel about this in either the forum or feedback section of
the main page of this website. Thank you and God bless you and your dog.